United Nations Day, 2012

Proclamation 8893 of October 24, 2012

United Nations Day, 2012

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Sixty-seven years ago, as the world began to emerge
from the shadows of war, the 51 founding member states
of the United Nations came together to take up the new
test of forging a lasting peace. In a decade scarred by
genocide, the United Nations chose the hope of unity
over the ease of division, boldly promising to future
generations that the dignity and equality of human
beings would be our common cause. Today, we commemorate
United Nations Day by celebrating the founding ideals
laid down in its Charter and reaffirming the
commitments to peace building, human rights, and social
progress that will guide us in the years to come.

Throughout its history, the United Nations Charter has
reflected the belief that the world is more secure when
the global community acts collectively. Dedicated to
assuring ``the equal rights of men and women and of
nations large and small,'' the institution has played
an essential role in addressing the conditions that
make the world more just and conflict less likely--
caring for children, tending to the sick, and pursuing
peace in places wracked by conflict. In today's world,
this mission remains as vital as it has ever been.
Across the globe, people are making their voices heard.
They are insisting on their innate dignity and the
right to determine their future. The United States will
always stand up for these aspirations at home and
abroad, and we will join our global partners in working
to realize them.

Through the better part of a century, we have seen what
is possible when a strong and united international
community takes action to advance the interests and
values we share. The founding values of the United
Nations remind us that countries can resolve their
differences peacefully, and that all people deserve the
chance to seek their own destiny, free from fear and
empowered with their most fundamental rights. As we
recognize this 67th anniversary of the United Nations,
let us recommit to carrying that vision forward in the
years ahead.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim October 24, 2012, as
United Nations Day. I urge the Governors of the 50
States, and the officials of all other areas under the
flag of the United States, to observe United Nations
Day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord
two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
seventh.